Double celebration at Calderdale College launch event

Sue Cook, John Rees, the Mayoress of Calderdale Catherine Kirk, the Mayor of Calderdale Coun Howard Blagbrough, Caroline Rowley, Denise Cheng-Carter, Stacie Ellis and Rachel Henningan.

Over 70 people attended the event, with guests including Howard Blagbrough, Councillor and Mayor of Calderdale, Sue Cooke of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Caroline Rowley Regional Director for the Association of Colleges (AoC).

The event marked the College’s success in securing a national Beacon Award from the AoC for their employer engagement activity. The award recognises the variety and scale of the funded projects Calderdale College has delivered over a number of years which have supported employers and staff to address their skills needs. The College has not only supported local employers in Halifax, it has also worked with almost 30,000 businesses across the whole of the North of England to deliver more than 89,000 qualifications to employees.

Following an official opening by Sue Cooke, Executive Head of Economic Services at West Yorkshire Combined Authority, guests also had the opportunity to tour the newly revamped College and facilities to see the results of a substantial investment to the College’s infrastructure.

'Unlocking Potential' at Calderdale College, Halifax.

The refurbishments are the result of the ‘Unlocking Potential’ Project, a multi-million pound building programme jointly funded by the College and through Growth Deal funding secured by the LEP. Thanks to this investment the College now boasts new state-of-the-art learning facilities allowing them to deliver new courses and meet local skills and employment needs.

John Rees, Principal and Chief Executive of Calderdale College, said: “Our focus is on equipping learners with the skills they need to succeed in their future careers. This investment means that we can give them the best start, by providing a modern and professional business like environment, ensuring they are work ready on completion of their studies.

We are also getting our employer partners directly involved in shaping the future curriculum, so that they have the right skills and training matched to the future job market. I would like to thank colleagues at the Leeds City Region LEP for their support in delivering this project and also the Association of Colleges for recognising the great work the College is doing for employers through its Beacon Award.”

Roger Marsh, Chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, said: “Ensuring learners have access to the best possible learning facilities is crucial to supporting skills development and employment prospects.

Thanks to this investment, Calderdale College are ensuring provision is in place to equip their learners with the skills employers need. Coupled with their recent award for Employer Engagement, the College have demonstrated a real commitment to meeting the skills needs of employers and thereby contributing to the economic growth of the region.”